Armour Of The Soul
by AuroraAura11
Summary: Sir Lancelot has been acting out-of-character lately and Sonic wants to know why. He gets his answer, but it seems he discovered more than he bargained for. What secrets did he reveal? Rated T. SONADOW, YAOI ALERT!


**Armour Of The Soul**

Early spring had finally arrived. It consisted of warm, blissful days, but chilly nights. That didn't really seem to matter the citizens of Camelot Kingdom, as everyone stayed inside of a night… that is except for one. The most loyal subject to the King himself, Sir Lancelot spent his nights outside, under the stars. Why?

1. He was looking out for suspicious behaviour.

2. He couldn't bear living in the same building as Sir Gawain, who happened to have a habit of snooping around in others' stuff.

3. He happened to like the outdoors, where he was free from rules and regulations, where he could think clearly without anyone bothering him, where he could be himself. Which he hates. When he's alone, he reviews the memories of his past, regretting every single one.

This week was one of the worst, for personal reasons. He's struggling to keep the feelings from showing themselves around the others; Sir Percival, Sir Gawain, the other guards and the King, who is surprisingly still Sonic. He couldn't get back to his own world without destroying Camelot, as Merlina stated. And there was no such thing as chaos emeralds. So, he was pretty much stuck here and decided to rule the kingdom, of course with the help of his royal subjects and the Knights of the Round Table (KRT). Well, except for Sir Lancelot, who had recently been acting weird, according to Sonic and the rest of the KRT. He had become even more isolated and anti-social than usual. He wouldn't speak unless spoken to and he was always looking down (in both ways). Sonic had seen the sudden change in personality and became extremely worried. He and the KRT had also noticed he now wore more armour, now covering his arms, legs, muzzle and every quill on his head. Basically, there was no part of him showing, excluding the breathing holes on his helmet, which only showed a bit of his muzzle and face. Percival and Gawain guessed it was for extra protection, as he did sleep outside and could be ambushed. But Sonic wasn't that oblivious. He saw through that and had concluded something was wrong, so he constructed a plan, and this is how it went.

Sonic was walking through the castle halls, searching for Sir Percival and Sir Gawain, when a servant came to his aid.

"Your highness, is there anything I can do for you?" questioned Silver, 'King' Sonic's personal servant.

"Actually, could you maybe search for Sir Lancelot for me? I need to discuss a few things with him personally", Sonic asked him, attempting to sound as smart as possible, and apparently succeeding.

"But of course, your majesty. Where should I tell him to rendezvous?"

"Send him to the throne room and make sure that he stays there until I come. He has a habit of wandering", the Blue Blur acknowledged, having a moment's flashback on what happened last time.

"I will make sure of it", Silver stated quite professionally, usually sounding pretty stupid when he would say it in Sonic's time.

"Thanks", Sonic said before turning, walking down the hallway, leading to the arena.

Percival and Gawain were duelling when Sonic came to the courtyard. As soon as they recognised Sonic's presence, they drew back their swords and greeted him. "Good morning, Sir Sonic, peaceful slumber?" Percival cooed.

"Yeah, actually it was. Thanks for asking", Sonic said with his signature grin and thumbs-up. But as soon as it came it left again. Gawain realised his immediate change and asked,

"Sir Sonic, what is the matter? You look disturbed by something".

Sonic looked at him and mumbled with a sad tone, "I can't find Lancelot anywhere and I need to talk to him, do you know where he is?"

"Are you still trying to find out why he is so down and depressed?" Percival half asked, half commented, with a slightly irritated tone to it. Sonic nodded. "You do understand that Sir Lancelot has never opened up to anyone? And I do not think he ever will tell us about his past, which is surprisingly, still a mystery", Percival continued.

"Yeah, but he might make an exception with me. He is the most loyal to me after all. Anyway, I've got a plan but I have to find him first. I've already asked one of my subjects to go and find him for me…" Sonic trailed off.

"Where is the rendezvous point? Maybe he is already there, waiting for you", Gawain suggested.

"But I only just asked, five minutes ago, he couldn't have already found him", Sonic shot back. "There is no way Sir Lancelot can be found in less than ten minutes".

"Maybe you are right", an unidentified, but familiar voice agreed. Sir Lancelot stepped out of the shadows of an oak tree. "But that does not mean the same vice-versa", he finished. "You were looking for me, your highness?"

"Yes, I was. Will you come with me? I need to discuss urgent matters that require your 'expertise'", Sonic answered, without forgetting to add the fingers for special effects on the word 'expertise'.

He responded, "Of course, Sir Sonic", and followed Sonic to the throne room. When they got there, no one else was present, so Sonic put his plan into action.

"Tonight, I wish to go for a midnight stroll, but I can't because I need an escort and I could get in danger if I go by myself-"

"So, you want me to be your escort?" Lancelot interjected. "Why not get Sir Percival or Sir Gawain to take you?" he questioned, subconsciously folding his arms.

"Because Gawain is guarding the castle grounds tonight, Percival won't allow it, you know the forest better than anyone here and I need to discuss a few things with you on the way", Sonic summed up, knowing he had won. He was right. Lancelot seemed to ponder the thought.

"As you wish, your majesty", Lancelot sighed submissively before turning to leave, when Sonic stopped him. "Is there something else you wish to tell me?" he queried after turning around.

"I was hoping that maybe we could also get to know a bit about each other, to tell you the truth", Sonic confessed.

"You want to get more acquainted to… me?" Lancelot stammered, extremely shocked Sonic had just said that to him.

"Of course, we aren't very acquainted to each other and I thought this would be a perfect opportunity", Sonic explained.

"Okay, if you wish", Lancelot hesitated. "Where shall we meet?" he then asked.

"At the east-side of the forest, there's a field near the entrance, we'll meet there", Sonic directed.

"I know where that is. We should meet there at around 2355 hours".

"Is that 11:55p.m?" Sonic asked, confused on what he meant.

"Yes…" Lancelot responded slowly.

Okay, so I'll see you then", Sonic said, before running off to who knows where.

Lancelot was standing there after a minutes time, still in shock that Sonic had wanted to take the time to get to know the real him.

_'He actually wants to spend time with… me, Sir Lancelot, the most anti-social creature ever to grace this land? Why would he want to get to know me? Does he really care that much? He must want something from me to talk to me like we're pals. Hopefully this is not going to be too personal. The last thing I need is Sir Sonic finding out what I have been doing. And I just agreed to go for a 'stroll' with him? For the love of… why did I even say yes?'_ he thought, wanting to slap himself right across the cheek, or…

Lancelot skated off to someplace where no one would dare go looking for him, with only one thought in his mind. A bad thought indeed.

Sonic had just snuck out of the castle and was speeding off with one destination in his mind, the east-side of the forest. When he reached his goal, he was greeted by a flash of a metallic, bronze metal. Sir Lancelot was standing directly under the moon, allowing his armour to give off this beautiful, resonating glow that Sonic could only stop and stare at with huge comical eyes.

_'Wow, he's like… glowing. He looks so pretty… wait, what the hell? Did I just say that Sir Lancelot looks 'pretty'? Where did that come from? OMG! Am I saying that…? No, no, no, no, no. IMPOSSIBLE! This can't be happening! Okay, okay, Sonic, calm down. Just friends. Nothing more. Just friends. Now go you buffoon!'_ Sonic thought before going down to meet with Lancelot. Sonic mentally noted that he was still wearing all of that armour and hadn't even made a move to take it off. Lancelot had heard him approaching and turned around to find Sonic standing there, looking prepared enough to go. He noticed that he was still sporting his shoes and gloves. "How long have you been waiting here for?" Sonic questioned Lancelot, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Less than ten minutes", Lancelot mumbled, just audible over the mild breeze that was blowing that night. Speaking of the wind, Lancelot then questioned Sonic "Are you sure you want to go for this walk? It _is_ cold and I- we wouldn't want you to catch any unwanted chills", Lancelot stuttered, praying that he wasn't caught off-guard by Sonic. Unbeknownst to him, he was, but Sonic didn't mention it.

"Yes, I do. And don't fret, I won't get cold since I'm so used to it", Sonic stated. Lancelot nodded, proving that he understood. He then turned around and started walking, Sonic easily catching up to him and walking, side-by-side him. For a full five minutes, they walked in complete and utter silence until Sonic piped up, in an attempt to start a conversation. "So, do you do this often?" Sonic wondered.

"Yes, but it would be a rare occasion for someone to join me", Lancelot replied calmly. Sonic couldn't see his face because of his helmet, which hid Lancelot's expression of fear. Fear of him discovering the truth.

After about an hour of discussion, they found themselves on a mountain side, over-looking the kingdom. They were just starting to walk down when Lancelot's right arm started flinching in pain.

'_Gee, my arm is literally killing me' _he thought while seething in pain. Unfortunately for him, Sonic heard him.

"Lance, are you okay? You sound like you're hurt", Sonic comforted, stopping Lancelot from walking so he could talk to him, face-to-face. Lancelot shuddered, knowing that he was blowing his cover. Sonic felt him shudder and got worried in less than a microsecond.

"I'm perfectly fine. Do not worry about me, just keep going", Lancelot responded through gritted teeth. Sonic didn't buy it.

"Something's obviously wrong and you can't hide it from me, Lance." Sonic put his hands on Lancelot's shoulders. "Please, tell me what's bothering you", Sonic pleaded. Lancelot was finding it difficult not to make eye contact, as it felt like his eyes were burning straight into the core, trying to break through the armour of his soul. He held his arm protectively, away from Sonic's grasp, as he had tried to grab a hold of it. Realization hit Sonic like an anvil. "You are hurt, aren't you?" he wondered aloud, already knowing the answer. Lancelot hung his head in defeat, knowing there was only one way out of this. The Truth.

Lancelot made his way over to a tree stump, taking a seat while Sonic kneeled beside him, urging to know what had the valiant knight troubled. He sat in silence until Sonic broke it.

"Lance? Look at me", Sonic asked politely, but seriously. Lance complied, turning his head from its drooping state to face Sonic's hard stare, immediately regretting doing so, as he was beginning to sweat because of the strong gaze that was boring holes through his façade. "Is your arm injured?" Sonic queried. He slightly nodded, only just seen by Sonic. "May I see it? I promise, I'll be gentle", Sonic asked, praying to Chaos that he'll comply. Lancelot pondered on the thought before hesitantly submitting to his order by giving him his arm, Sonic treating it like it was an item of value. He inspected it with keen eyes and his soft touch, eyeing every detail of the arm. "I know you won't like doing this, but will you take off your armour so I can see what's particularly wrong with your arm? It's kinda difficult, considering that it's covered with arm plates", Sonic questioned. Lancelot's head shot up to look at Sonic like he'd grown two heads. He jerked his arm away in response, not wanting him to be tinkering with it any longer.

"No, you have no authority to ask me to remove my armour, even if it is for safety measures!" Lancelot barked, rage shown throughout his body language as he stood up in reaction to Sonic's earlier demand.

"Lance, please-", Sonic was cut off.

"No, I refuse and decline your offer of 'help' if it requires me to become exposed, which I might add can be risking both our lives, considering that we have no idea when someone could strike or-"

"Lance, stop it! You're acting paranoid! There isn't anyone here-" Sonic stood, getting frustrated.

"A knight never lets their guard down, not even for a moment!" Lancelot argued, his patience wearing thin. He knew if he got too worked up, he would lash out at him and he didn't want to, since he was still their king.

They stopped arguing. All they did was stare at each other, anger dancing in their eyes, although you couldn't see Lancelot's. Lancelot turned away, not needing to continue death-glaring. After about a minute, Sonic had calmed down enough to replace his hatred-filled expression to a more sympathetic one. He was still angry, but only at himself, realising what he'd just done. He closed his eyes to calm himself more. He then heard Lancelot's armour, so he opened his eyes. What he saw stunned him. Lancelot was sitting back down with his head held in his hands, breathing quietly, as if he was hiding from someone. Sonic's heart plummeted, seeing Lancelot so… well, sad. He couldn't bear seeing him like this, so he sat down next to him, pulling him into a comforting hug.

Lancelot was taken aback by the action. _'Why would he comfort me if I just yelled at him? I do not understand. I could clearly see his anger toward me, but why would he even want to be near me, let alone hugging me? I hope he forgets about our previous discussion, I cannot bear the thought of what he would do if he found out about my recent activity',_ Lancelot thought during the hug. His thoughts were then cut short as Sonic spoke up.

"I'm so sorry, Lance. I shouldn't have made you so angry and I shouldn't have put you under so much pressure like I did. I swear to Chaos, I have no idea what came over me. Please forgive me", he begged, placing his head against Lancelot's metal shoulder.

Another couple of moments passed before Lancelot decided to return the hug. He slid his hands under Sonic's arms and pulled him closer, feeling pity. Now Sonic was shocked. He would've expected him to reject him, but did the complete opposite. Why? He was meant to be the one apologising, not vice-versa. That left him in a conundrum.

Relief washed over Sonic like a tidal wave, reassuring him that no one could do any harm while Lancelot was protecting him. There was only one thing that he didn't understand. Why did Lancelot get so mad when he asked him to remove his armour? He only meant his arm-plates, but what was he so insecure about? Was he hiding something? He HAD to ask!

"Lance? Can I ask you something?" Sonic said.

"Yes, what is it?" Lancelot replied.

"Why don't you ever take your armour off?" Sonic wanted to know, curiosity getting the better of him.

"I do, just not around anyone else", Lancelot answered with a sigh. "Why do you ask?" he quizzed.

"It's just, everyone's beginning to notice that you wear more armour than usual and we're all deeply concerned. I don't wanna be nosy or anything, but could you tell me why? Please, I don't get it", Sonic pleaded, telling him the truth. He continued, "I really do care for you, no matter what you think or say. I promise, if it's personal, I'll keep it a secret from everyone else. I hate being clueless and I also hate it when people lie to me. But what I hate more is how people say they're perfectly fine, when really, they're not, so they end up doing stupid things. I don't want that to happen to you, and if there really is something bothering you, I wouldn't want you resorting to such things. Help me understand Lance, because not knowing is stressing me out and it bothers me. If something is wrong, please tell me why. You're my friend… and…"

Sonic got too emotional to continue, tears were at the rim of his eyes, close to being shed. Lancelot saw this and hugged him tighter, not wanting to see Sonic cry. Sonic's whole vision was blurred from the tears. He felt Lancelot let go of him after a while, but he held on tighter, not wanting him to leave. He began stroking his quills, which made Sonic relax. The weird thing was that it didn't feel like metal rubbing him, it felt more like… fur? Sonic had discovered that he had taken off his hand guards and was petting him with his real hands. They were almost like silk hands, gliding along his quills. They were also gentle, despite the fact that he could crush bones with it. It felt so nice that Sonic was on the verge to purring. Then he started massaging them, that's what had Sonic. Lancelot was surprised when Sonic started purring.

_'He is purring… because of me? Am I really that gentle with him? Chaos, I would have never known he likes to be pet, let alone by me…'_ Lancelot thought with a smile. _'Maybe I should stop, I am probably taking away whatever dignity he has left', _his smile faded. _'He really does care for me. But why would he care for something as heartless as me? I hate lying, but I have to. I cannot risk him knowing the truth, but there is no other choice I have'. _Tears began to well up in his eyes as his thoughts continued. _'Why is my life so difficult? Why does it seem like the world is against me? What have I done to deserve this punishment? …I should have been there… to protect her. She did not deserve any of this. She was an innocent soul'. _He began shaking. _'She did nothing, yet, fate took her away from me. Now it teases me, taunts me, laughing at my loss. Life is cruel… not worth my time. I want to see her beautiful, angelic face, hear her sweet lullabies and caring voice, I want to smell her irresistible perfume, feel her flowing, silky, blonde hair and her calm touch, but more than that, the taste. I want to be with her, but I cannot. I hate my life! It is useless without her… there is only one way to be with her. And if that means I have to sacrifice myself, then so be it!'_

Lancelot was totally oblivious to the fact that Sonic was there and had been watching him since he felt him shaking. He knew he was in a trance and was impossible to remove him from it, so he observed his behaviour. A few moments after he started shaking, Sonic could make out sobs and sniffles coming from the heavily-guarded hedgehog. Was Lancelot… crying? Sonic felt a pang of sorrow thump in his chest. This was even worse than seeing him frustrated and angry. Sonic wanted so badly to rip his helmet off and allow him to cry on his shoulder. Why was he crying? And broken? And… wait a minute, did Sonic just see… depression? This threw Sonic over the edge and he held the broken-hearted hedgehog to his shoulder, praying to Chaos he'd wake up.

Lancelot finally snapped out of his trance to find his vision obscured by blue? Recognising the now-fully-conscious Lancelot, Sonic pulled back so he could see his face. Sonic was holding the most terrified/worried expression Lancelot had ever witnessed.

"Lance, w-what HAPPENED to you? You were pulled into some sort of trance and you weren't responding to me! It was like I wasn't even there to you! There has to be a reasonable explanation for this… a-and don't lie to me! Please tell me the truth and don't leave anything out."

Lancelot's throat was dry from the crying and he couldn't respond. Sonic waited patiently for his reply, not giving up or backing down without a proper excuse. Lancelot got his voice back after five minutes and this was his reply.

"I am sorry, but it is too late."

"What do you mean by that?" Sonic asked, afraid of his response.

"It has already been done and there is no going back", Lancelot continued, ignoring Sonic's question completely.

"Lance, I don't understand. What are you talking about?" Sonic pushed on, still confused.

"I cannot tell you…" Lancelot trailed.

"Why not?"

"…but I can show you", Lancelot finished, catching Sonic's attention. Sonic let go of him, a vague idea floating around in his head, guessing what he was gonna do. He was right. When his grip loosened on him, Lancelot sat up straight. He looked as if he was lost in thought, but came to after a gentle nudge from Sonic. He extended his arms to his helmet, hands gripped it and he pulled his helmet off. Lancelot's crimson orbs were filled with unshed tears, his expression taking on an emotionally exhausted look. What had Sonic frightened the most… was the huge arc-shaped scar, stretching from Lancelot's left temple, over his left eyelid and stopping at his muzzle.

"Holy Chaos, how did this happen?" Sonic managed to mumble. He only shut his eyes and shook his head, allowing one tear to run down his cheek. Sonic wiped away the tear with his left hand, which was now un-gloved, then began analysing the cut. It looked pretty deep from Sonic's perspective, as deep as 4mm, tops. What caused this? Was it a battle scar, an accident or… Sonic thought of the worst possible excuse.

"Lance, is this self-inflicted? Cause I hope it's not", Sonic spoke slowly. Lancelot shook his head.

"It is just a battle scar, it happened a few weeks ago when I went on a mission", Lancelot explained. "But it reminds me of what happened that day. It was not pleasant to watch." Sonic lifted his head, spotting a flicker of sadness pass through his deep hues. He would ask later on when he wasn't so emotional. He took in every detail he could see. The scars, watery eyes, tears, his exhausted expression, something around his neck… wait what? Sonic's eyes focused on his upper chest, spying a tattered red line going along his neckline, one side to the other. When Sonic took a closer inspection, he was shocked. It was a slice in his neck. It couldn't have been an accident because the swipe was too perfect, too clean. Plus, it would have healed by now. This was a purposely-made slit, so it was either an enemy or him. Sonic already knew the answer, but intended to make him confirm his suspicion.

"This is self-inflicted, isn't it?" Sonic more stated then asked. He nodded. Sonic frowned. "Is this it?" he queried. He shook his head. "Show me where else." He obeyed, removing his arm and chest-plates and placing the armour on the ground beside him. He then held his arms out. Sonic was appalled at what he saw. Slits, old and new, coated the underside of his arms and wrists. His right arm was still bleeding, more and more liquid seeped out of the wound. Sonic quickly grabbed one of his gloves and pressed it against the weak limb, which was throbbing and flinching because of its frailness. _'No wonder he got angry when I asked him to remove his armour… Lance, why would you do this to yourself? I can't believe you hid this for so long! What forced you to do such things?' _His thoughts resumed around the same questions and statements as he put pressure on his recent scar of self-mutilation. Sonic knew this was it. When the slice in his arm wasn't bleeding as profusely as it had been, he forced Lancelot to look him in the eyes by placing his right hand on his cheek and turning his head to face his. "Lance, why would you do this to yourself? You're better than this and you know it… so why?" Sonic finally asked the deeply depressed hedgehog.

Lancelot covered his face with his un-gloved hands and started quaking, choked sobs in tow. He explained everything to Sonic, everything that happened to his fiancée, Maria. He told him how she was murdered by a gang of adolescents and when he returned home, he found her dead, blood splattered everywhere. Finally, he told him he was mutilating himself so he could be with her; how he wanted to sacrifice himself, just to see her once again. Then he had a massive melt-down. He couldn't do anything but sit and watch helplessly as he tore himself apart, strand by strand, piece by piece, and cell by cell. The sobs and quaking only grew by every passing second, tearing him apart at the seams. His wailing and sobbing was heart-wretched and unforced as bottled tears and feelings were brought to surface. Sonic couldn't take it anymore and enveloped him into his warm embrace, wrapping his thin arms around his bare back and gently cradled his head. Lancelot submitted to his comfort, weeping into his shoulder and straining to obtain warmth from him.

They were like this for about half an hour until Lancelot had finally composed himself enough to breathe easy. Sonic looked down to see if he was alright after all the energy he used up. He smiled sadly. Lying in his arms, Lancelot slumbered peacefully, taking residence in the other hedgehog's protective hug. Sonic couldn't pass the opportunity to caress and gently rub the sleeping hedgehog's mink quills. He was that soft and fluffy, it wasn't even funny! Lancelot was strong, suave, had a persuasive, velvety voice and NOW he was silky! Damn, he's the full package! He stirred a little before he revealed his beautiful garnet orbs to Sonic.

"Feeling better?"

"Much, thank-you", Lancelot said with a reassuring smile. This forced Sonic to smile, certain he wasn't lying. Lancelot blinked. There were a few moments of silence before Lancelot piped up again. "Sir Sonic? May I ask you a question?"

Sonic giggled. "Hey, just call me Sonic, and sure."

"I have had my suspicions for a while and I have to know…" Lancelot mumbled the rest.

"I'm sorry Lance, I didn't get that. Could you maybe speak a little louder?" he asked.

"I do not know if I should say it, since it could offend you and I would not want that", Lancelot hesitated. Sonic knew what he was going to say so he just said it.

"Yes Lance, I do love you. I love you more than I love being king. I really do care about you and you can't make me think otherwise", Sonic whispered to him lovingly, kissing his head. Lancelot shuddered in pleasure as the kiss spread throughout his entire body like tiny shockwaves. He nuzzled Sonic's chest.

"And I love you too, Sonic", Lancelot whispered back before kissing Sonic passionately, seducing him in the remaining hours of darkness. That was their story.

**The End**

**I needed to get that story off my chest before I imploded! Anyway, thanks for reading this. Send me your thoughts via review; I'd like to know what everyone thinks. This story had me stressing and I will be broken-down like Sir Lancelot was if no one comments. I don't even care if it's a flame, just write SUMTHIN! Thx readers. Sincerely, AuroraAura11!**


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